Melon Tomato and Feta Salad

I’ve been waiting a long time to post this recipe for Melon Tomato and Feta Salad. I had a similar salad last year in London and have had it in my drafts ever since. It’s not something you post in December so now that there’s a hint of Summer in the air I’m going with it.

I love this salad, it is very light and fresh but filling at the same time. I made up some at the weekend but only finished one serving as it I didn’t really think himself would be too fond of it. I took the pictures, went to finish the rest of the meal and when I came back he had practically eaten all of it! Take that as a thumbs up from someone who is usually wary of something that looks this healthy.

 

Useful tips & links:

• With any of these types of simple dishes it is essential to use the best quality ingredients that you can. So use good, juicy tomatoes and the best quality olive oil that you have. Keep the cheaper stuff for cooking.
• Use any mix of tomatoes and melon that you like. I use watermelon quite a bit in salads but for this I prefer a melon with firmer flesh. I used galia and honeydew melons, cantaloupe would also be delicious here. For the tomatoes I used a mix of heritage tomatoes and regular but all regular tomatoes would be fine.
• For crunch and texture, I toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds and they have a really lovely flavour when toasted. You could also use Dukkah and next time I am going to try toasted quinoa.
• I’ve brought out the Aleppo Pepper again for this but if you don’t have that, mix a little cayenne pepper with smoked paprika and use it sparingly. Aleppo Pepper is quite mild and you don’t want the taste of chilli to overpower the whole thing.
• Don’t stress about quantities, this is really another dish that works with whatever you have. For instance, I have given an amount for the herbs for the interest of accuracy for a recipe, but I assure you when I cook myself I never count the leaves, I just grab a handful.
• If you would like to use watermelon in a salad, I have a selection of recipes here using it.
• For more inspiration have a look at this gorgeous Melon and Lime Sorbet from Eva. I’m definitely doing this to use up leftover melon. Alternatively, this Marinated Feta from Katia is a real favourite!

 

 

 

Melon Tomato and Feta Salad

Serves 2 for a light meal, more as a side

Ingredients:

• 250g of melon flesh, chopped
• 200g of tomatoes, chopped
• 100g of feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
• ½ a small red onion, finely sliced
• The juice of ½ a lime, approx. 1 tablespoon
• 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper
• 10 mint leaves, finely shredded
• 10 basil leaves, finely shredded
• ½ teaspoon of Aleppo Pepper

Method:

• Start by making the salad dressing, In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and taste and adjust for seasoning. It does not need honey or another sweetener as the salad has plenty of sweetness from the fruit.
• Add the finely sliced onions to the dressing and steep them in it for 1-0-15 minutes to cure the onion and get rid of the raw taste.
• Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes and melon and add them to a bowl. Pour over the onions and dressing and mix well together. Allow to stand to allow the flavours to blend together.
• Heat a dry non-stick pan over a medium heat and toast the pumpkin and sesame seeds until they start to pop and you can smell them toasting. Remove and set aside.
• When you are ready to serve, sprinkle over the shredded herbs and stir them through the fruit. Crumble over the feta cheese, sprinkle over the Aleppo Pepper or chilli and the toasted seeds.
• Serve immediately.